Illustration: The Sistine Chapel of Golden Books

This post is just the tip of the iceberg... see reason number 3 on our The Top Ten Reasons To Support The A-HAA for links to more great posts about 50s children's book illustrators.


Archive supporter Marty Baumann recently took a field trip to the children's reading room of the Mount Pleasant Library in Washington DC to view a little known treasure- a mural by legendary children's book illustrator and animation artist, Aurelius Battaglia.


Titled "Animal Circus", this stunning mural fills the walls in the small room, creating an enveloping cartoony environment. Battaglia was a story artist at Disney on Dumbo and Pinocchio, worked on training films for the war department, and directed on UPA's Gerald McBoing Boing Show. He was also a prolific illustrator, working for Western Publishing's Little Golden Book line, Random House and others. Battaglia created this mural for Roosevelt's WPA project during the depression, shortly before joining the Disney staff.

Marty tells us that these murals were neglected and taken for granted until just recently. The Friends of the Mount Pleasant Library is planning to restore them soon. Unfortunately, the space is small and dark, and the murals have been covered over with thick plexiglas in an attempt to protect them. So these pictures don't fully do the work justice. If anyone in DC has access to a good DSLR with a wide angle lens, please take some shots and panoramas and send them to us. Until then, feast your eyes on these treats!










Many thanks to Marty Baumann for sharing this with us!

If you found this to be useful, see also... Bozo and his Rocket Ship, Rojankovsky's Frog Went A Courting, Tibor Gergely's A Day In The Jungle, Gustaf Tenggren's The Little Trapper, Uncle Remus Stories Part One and Part Two, Little Verses Part One, Part Two and The New Golden Song Book Part One, Part Two and Part Three, and Huckleberry Hound Builds A House.

Thanks
Stephen Worth
Director
ASIFA-Hollywood
Animation Archive

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